Syllabus
Physics 6A, UCSC, Fall 2009
Phys 6A, UC Santa Cruz, Fall 2009
Introduction to Physics I
Physics 6 is taught over three quarters, and Physics 6A is the first installment. In this course, we learn
basic concepts of classical mechanics, as established by Newton. Two extremely important overarching
principles that will be emphasized throughout this course are Newton's laws and conservation laws. We
will learn what these laws are and how to correctly interpret them, as well as how to apply them to
various problem solving situations. The list of topics include linear and rotational kinematics and
dynamics, energy and momentum and their conservation, angular momentum and its conservation,
statics and equilibrium, oscillations, and gravity.
Instructor Gey-Hong (Sam) Gweon, ISB 249, gweon at ucsc.edu, (TEL) 9-1806
Lecture hours 8-9:10 am (Section 1), 9:30-10:40 am (Section 2), MWF, Thimann Lecture 3 [The two
sections should be treated as non-mixable – see Stick with your section near the end of this document.]
Office hours 11:00 am-12:00 pm, MWF, 2:00-3:00 pm Monday, 10:00-11:00 am Thursday.
Text Essential University Physics with MasteringPhysics, Richard Wolfson [Chapters 1-14; Vol. 1 suffices]
(Pearson, Addison Wesley)
Enrollment issues Please contact the ever helpful physics undergraduate advisor, Teri Pennington,
tapennin at ucsc.edu, 383 Thimann Laboratories, for wait-list, permission code, etc.
6L The lab course 6L is closely tied to this course. Nonetheless, it is formally separate from 6A. I do not
have the authority to answer your questions regarding 6L. The instructor of 6L is George Brown.
Email address Your email address as recorded in the registrar will be used for critical communications
during this course. If you want to receive my emails at another email address of yours, you can make a
request by sending an email message to me.
Websites The following web sites are also very important for this course.
•
The ILT site is being phased out. Go to the WebCT site http://ic.ucsc.edu/webct insetad for quizzes
and announcements. You can use your current CruzID and password to log into WebCT. Don’t have
a CruzID? Go to http://its.ucsc.edu/services/accounts/forms.php and download the “Sundry Account Form.”
Fill it out and bring it to me. I will sign it, and you can mail it so that you get an ID for the WebCT site. [The
following information is becoming irrelevant, due to our move from ILT to WebCT, as of Oct. 6, 09:
I will be using the Harvard ILT web site for administering quizzes and lecture note distribution (and perhaps
other purposes as we go along). You are required to enroll yourself at the following website:
http://polaris.deas.harvard.edu/galileo/students/enroll/?courseID=2458. You need to enter your UCSC
G.-H. (Sam) Gweon
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Syllabus
Physics 6A, UCSC, Fall 2009
student ID when you enroll, so that I can keep track of you. Once enrolled, you should use
http://polaris.deas.harvard.edu/galileo/students/?courseID=2458 to access our course “UCSC Phys 6A.”]
•
•
•
We will be using the Mastering Physics system for homework. You need to enroll yourself at
http://www.masteringphysics.com with the course ID SAMPHY6A. You need to enter your UCSC
student ID when you enroll, so that I can keep track of you. Different from the ILT service, you
need to pay for a unique serial number before being able to register for the MasteringPhysics
website (see Text above). [In the past, I had a student who got an unexpired serial number donated by his friend. I
do not know the details, but if this is your situation, then let me know, so that we can try to work out a solution.]
The address http://samphy6a.blogspot.com will be used for posting notices and so on.
The links to the above websites are provided at http://griffin.ucsc.edu/teaching/current/.
Lecture Plan The rough lecture plan, subject to adjustments as we go along, is as follows.
Week
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Lecture
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
G.-H. (Sam) Gweon
Date
Sep 25
Sep 28
Sep 30
Oct 2
Oct 5
Oct 7
Oct 9
Oct 12
Oct 14
Oct 16
Oct 19
Oct 21
Oct 23
Oct 26
Oct 28
Oct 30
Nov 2
Nov 4
Nov 6
Nov 9
Nov 11
Nov 13
Nov 16
Nov 18
Nov 20
Nov 23
Nov 25
Nov 27
Nov 30
Dec 2
Dec 4
Topics
Units, sig-figs
Dimension; Motions in 1D
Motions in 1D
Vectors
Motions in 2D/3D
Projectile motion
Force and motion (tension)
Force and motion
Newton’s 3rd law
Midterm #1
Hooke’s law, friction
Work, power
Work-energy theorem
Conservation of energy
Many particles and collisions
Momentum and energy conservation
Circular motion
Rotations
Angular momentum
Angular momentum
Holiday (Veteran’s day)
Midterm #2
Statics
Gravity
Gravity
Harmonic oscillations
Harmonic oscillations
Holiday (Thanksgiving)
Waves
Review
Review
6L (FYI)
No labs
No labs
Kinematics (1D)
Dynamics, Newton’s law
(FBD; tension …)
Potential energy and
Kinetic energy
(mgh; rotational E incl.)
Conservation of
Momentum and energy
(elastic, inelastic collisions)
Rotating frame
(Corioli, centri-fugal incl.)
No labs
Rotational dynamics
(torque, angular accel.,
conservation of ang. mom.)
No labs
Harmonic oscillator
(spring, pendulum)
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Syllabus
Physics 6A, UCSC, Fall 2009
Final exam According to http://reg.ucsc.edu/soc/2098/sched.html#Fall2009, the final exam schedule is
Wednesday, December 9, 8-11 AM (Section 1) and 4-7 PM (Section 2).
Homework (MasteringPhysics) The MasteringPhysics (“MP”) homework system is a very helpful
system, but its unique system requires some getting used to. I think you can get frustrated if you do not
have a good strategy how to use it. For instance, as of now, each time one tries an incorrect answer,
there is a small reduction in score. It seems that this policy is reasonably fair in that it encourages a
careful approach, while at the same time the reduction ratio is not really too big to prevent students
from trying couple of solutions first without worrying too much. However, one should be careful not to
try too many “random guesses.” Pretty soon, you get to a crossroads between ~ 80 % and 0 % grades!
This can become a quite stressful situation. Here are a few pieces of advice/information, which I hope
will relieve your stress.
1. Some MP problems are based on the textbook problems, with a few numbers tweaked by random
number generation. For these problems, I will post the answers to the corresponding evennumbered textbook problems. The textbook already gives the answers to odd-numbered problems.
The idea here is the following. First, you work out the textbook problem and make sure you get the
correct answer. Then, all you need to do to get the correct answer to the MP problem is to apply
your formula to randomly tweaked number(s) of the MP problem.
2. If you do not get the correct answer in two or three trials, you should stop and take a break. I
recommend that you re-think carefully, after refreshing yourself. Or, get help from me, TAs, and
friends.
3. In case you feel strongly that you got “tricked by the MP system” so that your score of a certain
problem grossly underestimates your understanding, you can make an appeal to me. Generally, I
may require you to submit a fully written solution of that problem to me, or show me how you
worked out that problem. You would need to do this before I post my homework solutions on the
web (see 5 below).
4. Similarly, if you are sure that the computer made a mistake, you should just let me know with brief
information. I will investigate and make sure you receive the credit you deserve.
5. As a general rule, my homework solutions will be posted as soon as the homework due date has
passed. The reason for this is to facilitate your immediate review of homework (see the discussion
in Evaluation below), which is always very important, especially close to an exam. Because of this, I
will not accept any late homework. If you have exceptional personal circumstances, you should
come and discuss with me (see Absenteeism below).
6. I welcome your thoughtful comments about MP homework problems. You can use email or the
“leave comments” feature in the MP website. If you want to make sure that I consider your
comments that you choose to leave on the MP website, please check "Yes" on the question "Would
you like this comment to be e-mailed to your course administrator?" (that administrator is me) in
the "Item Survey" section. This way, you are making sure that I will definitely receive your
comments.
G.-H. (Sam) Gweon
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Syllabus
Physics 6A, UCSC, Fall 2009
Quizzes In this course, quizzes will be administered through the Harvard ILT website. See Websites
above. [I-clickers will not be used in this course, partly because a significant fraction of students do not
have i-clickers, and do not plan to have them any time soon.] Quizzes can be accessed through the
READING link (or the link(s) under COMING UP) of the ILT website. You are required to submit your
answers to quizzes before each lecture [except for the initial trial periods, about 2-3 lectures (?)]. You
will get the full credit for correctly answered quiz questions, and 90 % credit for incorrectly answered
quiz questions. So, the participation is the most important aspect of the quiz. You should read the
lecture note and the relevant chapters before doing the quiz. During the lecture, we will discuss these
quiz questions in detail. Active student participants in these discussions [and any other academic
discussions] during class will be diligently kept track of by me. They may be rewarded in certain ways,
e.g. bonus points to quizzes.
Where you can get help (all of the following is optional, but strongly recommended)
From me To get help from me, visits during office hours will be the best way. Essentially, you can
grab me any time in the mornings of MWF to get help. For example, I think the break time, 9:109:30 am, might be also very useful for quick helpful information exchange between me and
students. Then, after the 2nd lecture, 10:40 till noon is available for discussion. I will also try my best
to respond to email inquiries. As a general rule, I will try to respond to your email messages in a
day, if not sooner. However, by the uncontrolled nature of the email correspondence, I cannot 100
% guarantee my reply. To enhance the chance that you will get a quick and useful reply to your
email inquiry, you should make your email as specific, short, and to the point as possible, in other
words as easy to reply to as possible.
TA discussion sessions Each of your TAs for 6L will hold a 1 ½ hour long 6A discussion session each
week at ISB 165, starting from the week of Sept. 28. The weekly schedule is as follows. Note that
homeworks are due Thursday evening, in accordance with this schedule. You can attend any
discussion sessions, to ask questions about homework and any other subject matters of this course.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
12:30 – 2 PM
2 – 3:30 PM
Andrew Short
Marty Tysanner
Daniel Rasolt
Omar Moreno
Gregory Bowers
3:30 – 5 PM
Milton Bose
Jonathan Cornell
5 – 6:30 PM
Derek Padilla
Lulu Liu
Laura Daniel
MSI This course includes Modified Supplemental Instruction support. The MSI learning assistants
and their schedules are the following.
Joel Pearman ( jpearman at ucsc.edu; Section 1, 8 AM class)
Wednesdays 9:30-10:40am @ ARC 202
Wednesdays 7:00-8:15pm @ Arc 202
Thursdays 4:00-5:15pm @ Oakes Learning Center
Thomas Atanasov (tatanaso at ucsc.edu; Section 2, 9:30 AM class)
G.-H. (Sam) Gweon
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Syllabus
Physics 6A, UCSC, Fall 2009
Tues 10:15 - 11:45 AM @ Oakes Learning Center
Wed 11:00 - 12:15 PM @ ARC 202
Wed 5:30 - 6:45 PM @ ARC 203
The schedules are, in principle, also posted at
http://eop-apps.ucsc.edu/msi/msischedule.cfm . Note that you are required to attend MSI
regularly, if you like to get an LSS tutoring service (see next).
LSS tutoring service Learning Support Services (LSS) offers many academic programs to UCSC
students. One of these programs is course-specific tutoring that is available to all UCSC students.
Generally students meet in small group (up to 4 people per group) lead by a tutor. Students are
eligible for up to 1 hour of tutoring per week per course, and may sign-up for tutoring at
https://eop-apps.ucsc.edu/OTSS/tutorsignup/ beginning October 6th. Normally, students need to
attend MSI first before they are eligible for the LSS tutoring service. However, if special
circumstances exist, you should discuss them with me. I am told that the following students have
been hired at the LSS to support our course: Kurt Almeida (kalmeida at ucsc.edu), Lorenzo Cabusca
(lcabusca at ucsc.edu), Holden Ridge (hridge at ucsc.edu).
Evaluation (and how to succeed in exams) The following approximate weighting factors will be used for
the evaluation: 10 % for quiz, 25 % for homework, 17 % for midterm #1, 18 % for midterm #2 and 30 %
for final. [In the past, after each exam, I notified each student what her/his estimated letter grade at the time
was. I think this helped students have good ideas about their progress/standing, and I plan to do the same this
year.] The evaluation will be absolute, not relative, so your classmates are your friends, not foes. So,
have a lot of helpful discussions! Form study groups! But, please do not just feed the answers to each
other. By the nature of the quiz system and the homework system, the variations in quiz and homework
scores are likely small. However, it seems that these small variations are greatly amplified in exam
scores. Why? My one theory is that, to be successful in exams, it is very important that you review your
homework right after you have successfully finished them, especially if you get much help from others
(me, TAs, or your friends). Getting help is greatly recommended whenever necessary, but, in the end, it
is you who should make sure to internalize and absorb the knowledge before it evaporates into thin air
as it tends to do. My theory is that this step of a firm internalization is crucial for your long term
success.
Academic integrity In the unfortunate case this issue comes up, the following policy is in place.
Cheating, if confirmed, will result in a failing grade, regardless of other scores. Suspected cheating
activities in exam, homework and quiz will be investigated.
Absenteeism You should not miss any exam, by all means, since the negative impact of not taking one
exam will be quite huge. Also, you should not miss on-line quizzes and homeworks. If, due to
emergency (e.g. family or health), you have to miss any of them, then you should come talk to me, or
contact me by phone or email. Under reasonable circumstances, a make-up will be arranged to the
extent possible. Per the University-wide policy, I will not accept any “medical documentation” related to
your absence.
G.-H. (Sam) Gweon
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Syllabus
Physics 6A, UCSC, Fall 2009
H1N1 Flu Per the University-wide policy, you are advised not to come to class if you become ill with flu
like illness. Here is what the University policy recommends: “The university has adopted the CDC
recommendation that members of the campus community who develop flu like illness should selfisolate until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever or signs of fever. This will likely be a period of 35 days.” Please notify me before taking the self-isolating action.
Stick with your section Keep in mind that the two sections are formally separate, and so be sure to not
mix sections. First of all, you should take exams in your section. My current plan is that the two
sections will have completely different exams, and will be graded independently. Second, attend
lectures in your section. While I anticipate/hope that lectures will be nearly identical between the two
sections, I cannot guarantee, at this point, that they will be. For instance, my interaction with students
in one section may be somewhat different from my interaction in the other section, and this may cause
some differences in lectures. Their paces may become slightly different. So, if you must skip a lecture
of your section and then like to make up for it by attending the equivalent lecture of the other section,
please keep in mind that the other lecture may not give you a complete make-up. However, the
homework will be identical between the two lectures, and so will be the quiz.
Last note If you acquire some true understanding enough to enjoy this course with occasional smiles,
that is a big mission accomplished for me. And, I wish all of you to succeed to the extent commensurate
with your efforts. I will try to be as open as possible to all of you, so feel free to express to me, in a
constructive manner, any concerns or comments, positive or negative, you may have regarding any
aspect of this course, so that we can meet these goals together. Lastly, I highly recommend forming
study groups, a lot of asking questions (in and outside classes), and a lot of peer discussions, on your
part.
G.-H. (Sam) Gweon
6